2021 - My first year with 52 Frames.
Break the Rules -
Painting or Photo?
Canon R5 - 0.4” - f'/13 - ISO 100
This challenge was so much fun. I took a photo in my parent's garden of the leopard tree, with some grass and flowers along it.
The rules I broke, blurred photo, and camera movement during open shutter, as well as taking it in the middle of the day.
Combine 3 Challenges -
Little Bird
Canon R5 - 1/2500 - f'/7.1 - ISO 800
This has actually been easier than I thought. I did however think alot more about each photo I took for this challenge and what challenges would each photo tick off.
I managed to combine seven in this photo:
Nature - Take a breath - Fast Shutter - Wide Open Shutter - Negative space - Golden Hour - Line from a song -" He sings the clearest melody " - Little bird by Annie Lennox
In the Middle -
Pincushion Protea
Canon R5 - 1/80 - f'/9 - ISO 100
Taken at a local market, a flower kiosk was selling these lovely Pincushion Proteas. I wanted to emphasise the middle with the highlights coming out.
Black & White Minimalism -
Slowing Down Langebaan Lagoon
Canon R5 - 25” - f'/8 - ISO 100
Took this long exposure on a cloudy morning to even out the water and give it a mirror like look. The birds worked along quite nicely.
Common Object - Just some rocks
Canon R5 - 1’16” - f'/11 - ISO 100
For the normal person living by the coast (myself included), they/we would walk past this rocks everyday, and maybe never give them a second glance. With the correct light, correct tide and a big stopper to slow down the shutter, this becomes other-worldly or even heavenly.
Inspired by a Photographer -
Mads Peter Iverson
Canon R5 - 1/80 - f'/11 - ISO 100
I absolutely love Mads' photos. He's speciality is landscapes, and would love to be half as good. I'll keep trying and maybe one day, I'll get there.
We're currently on a trip in South Africa, and saw this lone tree when we arrived at our current location. I hoped for a dramatic sky, and golden light on the wheat for the contrast. Lucky for me I got everything I hoped for mere hours before the deadline.
Fill the Frame -
History has taken it’s toll…
Canon R5 - 1/13 - f'/4 - ISO 1000
Saw the History of the world books, that I can see has lived through some history itself.
Wabi Sabi -
Genie in a kettle?
Canon R5 - 1/160 - f'/7.1 - ISO 400
I came across this kettle, and thought it looked like something that a genie would live in, but are then trowed as soon as nothing happens, revealing the golden scratches.
It also has an asian feel to it, fitting in with the Wabi-Sabi theme.
Face a Fear -
Fear behind the beauty
Canon R5 - 0.3” - f'/11 - ISO 100
There's 2 kinds of fear in this photo.
The first is a quite literal, in the fact that being on street in Pretoria (South Africa) usually is not very safe. I took my dad along for this so I won't have to be alone on street with my equipment. The outing with him was as always a blessing and fun.
The second, is the fear for exams. In South Africa, the academical year is the same as a calendar year, which meant that as soon as the Jacarandas (Name of the tree) starts blooming it was time for year-end exams.
Shot with a Phone - Seeing Double
Apple iPhone X
After an early morning rainfall and spectacular sunrise, I managed to capture this photo with my phone using the Lightroom app.
For this photo I really did only have my phone to capture this.
Walls - Wall Light
Canon R5 - 1/50 - f'/7.1 - ISO 400
This was more of a commitment photo, than something I'm extremely proud of. I do like the way the light makes these interesting shadows on the wall, and the warm color.
Low Key - Buffalo in the Dark
Canon R5 - 1/5000 - f'/7.1 - ISO 500
I went for an underexposed look of a buffalo's nose, with only that in focus to capture the texture and wetness of it.
High Key - High Key Spring
Canon R5 - 1/250 - f'/13 - ISO 200
I've done a few high-key photos in the past, but always black and white, so this week I wanted to try and achieve the look but still make use of colour.
Dreamscape - My fairy princess
Canon R5 - 1/800 - f'/2.8 - ISO 1600
Although probably a bit predictive, I was really lucky to have been able to photograph my niece after almost 2years of not seeing her due to covid.
I'm usually not a big fan of heavy editing, but thought I would go big for this challenge and had quite a bit of fun.
Daily routine - Endless Laundry
Canon R5 - 1/4 - f'/3.5 - ISO 800
Although not a fun routine, it certainly is a neverending one, that can't be easily skipped. The circle shape of the washing basket also represents the neverending cycle.
Curves - The Script
Canon R5 - 1/3200 - f'/2.8 - ISO 100
High-key photo taken of just a portion of a monument close to us.
Man - Dubai Superman
Canon R5 - 1/3200 - f'/2.8 - ISO 100
With all of Dubai's many glass skyscrapers, there are quite a few of these spidermen hanging from buildings cleaning them.
To me, these and all the other hard labourer’s are superheroes, as they're in the scorching heat most of the day, and what makes Dubai this clean, sparkling and world-class city, without taking or getting any credit for it.
Woman -
Ingredients to a confident woman
Canon R5 - 1/100 - f'/4 - ISO 500
After being dropped by my model at the last minute, I was kinda with my hands in my hair about what to do this week.
As I got out of the shower and putting on my perfume, I realized that every woman has her secret ingredient to feeling confident, special, and powerful. For some, it's perfume, other lingerie, jewelry, a bit of makeup, and even a pair of heels can just give that extra "WawaWoom" that day.
Nostalgia -
Baking with my Granny
Canon R5 - 1/4 - f'/11 - ISO 100
What started out as "what a crap topic" turned out to be one of my favorites. I went down memory lane all week long and settled on the memory of me baking with my granny. Since I can remember I would stand on a chair next to her.
This is her recipe, and although I've baked this cake so many times before, I've never attempted a replica of how she would decorate it, and this is the closest I could get.
I am very lucky to still have her alive but sadly couldn't bake this with her due to distance. This was really a sweet and wonderful photo and memory.
Texture - Bread & Jam
Canon R5 - 1/4 - f'/11 - ISO 100
I would sell my soul to a nice piece of bread and strawberry jam, thus the ciabatta was the first thing that came to mind, and no matter how much I try to come up with other ideas, I kept circling back to it.
Night - Sheik Zayed
Canon R5 - 20” - f'/11 - ISO 100
Dubai is the worst place to take astrophotography photos since there's so much light pollution, but on the flip side, that's Dubai's "prettiest" time as well with all the lights. This is also my favorite thing to photograph here.
I took five bracketed shots and combined them into an HDR using photoshop and luminosity masks. I then went back to lightroom to refine my photo and make it pop even more.
Line from a Song -
”It’s a cruel, (it’s a cruel) cruel summer”
Canon R5 - 1/60 - f'/8 - ISO 100
Cruel Summer - by Bananarama
For most people summer is the best part of the year, and I used to be one of them when I still lived in South Africa.
Since moving to Dubai, summer has become very cruel and unpleasant, with extremely high temperatures, and sometimes high humidity. During this shoot of golden hour, I was lucky with having very low humidity but still managed to capture a high temperature.
Wide Aperture - Inside a Lego Camper
Canon R5 - 1/250 - f'/2.8 - ISO 200
I used my wide-angle to capture the inside of our Lego Camper. I used the shallow (widest I could go) depth of field to isolate and emphasize the wine glass.
Distorted - Wildflowers
Canon R5 - 0.3” - f'/22 - ISO 100
I kinda borrowed an idea from a photographer I follow, where he uses one sharp, and one motion blurred photo. I rather went with four different motion-blurred photos (zoom while exposure is taken) to have a version of the Pep Ventosa Technique, with one sharp photo.
Product Photography - Malibu
Canon R5 - 1/2 - f'/8 - ISO 100
I used some stuff/props I've brought back from Zanzibar, added some dried coconut in the back, and made use of two photos and focus stacking to get everything sharp.
Transportation - Race from Above
Canon R5 - 1/10 - f'/2.8 - ISO 200
I took this panning shot from our balcony to add an alternative perspective to an everyday transport method. I took the photo early evening, so I could get some shadows and headlights highlights.
Black & White -
Nespresso Espresso
Canon R5 - 1/6 - f'/9 - ISO 100
I shot our Nespresso machine as it was done making espresso, and having that last drip with some steam still on it. I decided to go with an alternative and cropped composition to simplify and enhance the subject.
I did some basic edits with local adjustment and a little color tone.
Just Breathe - Breast Stroke Breath
Canon R5 - 1/2500 - f'/11 - ISO 1600
This week I went with a literal approach, by taking a self-portrait as I came up for air during breaststroke swimming.
I've put the camera on a tripod, and used the intervalometer, to take a shot every second. I then went into the pool and started swimming (hoping for the best). I went back three times and was kinda satisfied with the shot.
Macro - Mother of Pro Gaming
Canon R5 - 1/2 - f'/2.8 - ISO 400
I wanted to go for something different, so I used my husband's gaming PC (without a Graphics card) for this week's photo.
I don't have a macro lens, YET... So I made use of my wide-angle since its minimum distance focus is the closest.
I used a red light from the side and my cellphone light from above. The ventilation gaps, made for interesting light streaks. I photo stacked 16 photos in Photoshop, and then did basic editing, with a bit of color toning.
Door - Colorfull Invite
Canon R5 - 1/500 - f'/2.8 - ISO 100
I'm usually not a big fan of selected color sections in a monochrome photo, but I wanted to emphasize that the world inside that shop is a blast of color in comparison to the outside world.
My story is that It's like a less secret but very inviting, expensive and exclusive fairy garden inside with all the exotic flowers.
Music - Sunset over a bridge
Canon R5 - 1/500 - f'/2.8 - ISO 100
I placed a friend of mine's guitar on the rail of our apartment on the 27th floor during sunset to capture this shot. This made me extremely nervous, and thus the shot did not work out exactly as planned as the sun did not properly align as hoped for. A better-looking sunset would also have been helpful, but sadly this is what we get in Dubai summer months.
I used photo stacking (my first attempt) to create more focus on the guitar by blending 40 photos in photoshop.
Wide Angle - Dark side of the vinyl
Canon R5 - 1/320 - f'/6.3 - ISO 400
I used our vinyl player as my model this week. I wanted the emphasis on the cartridge, and texture of the vinyl. Making the photo dark and low-key, I was able to get my details through with the highlights (provided by the flash) being on the texture and cartridge.
Portrait - Etosha Portrait
Canon R5 - 1/320 - f'/6.3 - ISO 400
It was my last week in Etosha National Park (Namibia), thus surrounded by a lot more animals than people. Especially a giraffe. During late afternoons, about 30 or more giraffes would come and drink water at the nearest waterhole to Namutoni Rest Camp.
I then waited for the soft, golden light of the sun during golden hour as lightning for my portrait this week.
Although I really wanted to do a human portrait, I think this is quite appropriate for me this week, and am quite happy with the shot.
Red - African Bush Sunset
Canon R5 - 1/2500 - f'/5 - ISO 200
The most "red" thing I saw this week.
We are fortunate to be in Etosha (Namibia) this week, however red is not a common color in this shades of beige.
ISO 100 -
A Bugs Life
Canon R5 - 1/200 - f'/11 - ISO 100
Usually, I have a fair idea of what I want to capture each week. This week was purely opportunistic.
I was so excited to see a candelabra tree at our holiday accommodation we're staying just outside of Windhoek in Namibia. During mid-day, it buzzes with all different bugs.
Although I don't have a macro lens, I managed to capture this photo with a zoom lens and did some basic editing in Lightroom.
I managed to capture this in mid-day, which made this week's challenge so much easier for me and am actually very happy with its results.
Fabric -
Hand Weaving
Canon R5 - 1/25 - f'/10 - ISO 1600
I wanted to take a picture of hand weaving, but could only find their product store, and not the weaving itself ? I did manage to capture the yarn they used with some of the final products.
Nature - Mono Ostrich
Canon R5 - 1/500 - f'/2.8 - ISO 100
I'm lucky to be in South Africa for this challenge. We went to a nature reserve close to my parents house in Pretoria, and managed to get a few pics. I decided to go with a more artistic monochrome picture with some color toning.
Edited by someone else -
Fossil Rock Sunrise
Canon R5 - 1/25 - f'/11 - ISO 100
Thanx to Gary Baker for doing a good job with my edit this week. I have to add, that more care went into the shoot of the photo, so my editor will have something decent to work with.
Trapped -
Locked up Passport
Canon R5 - 1/320 - f'/2.8 - ISO 100
With travel being very restricted, I thought to capture my passport locked up. To add an additional layer, South Africa is currently the most blocked country.
I build a little "cell" with black and used metal straws for the cell bars. I then used a little flashlight to light it up from the front and add the additional bar shadow. The light also represents the light that traveling might very well be on its way again.
Fast Shutter -
Strawberry Dive
Canon R5 - 1/2500 - f'/14 - ISO 2500
I wasn't sure if this shot would work, since I don't have any flash or studio lights. I then positioned the glass in from of the window, with a lower shooting angle so I wouldn't get any of the buildings next door's shadows, and keep the shot clean.
I used the shutter-release and put the camera on burst mode, and went for a few rounds.
In post-production I took desaturated the blue caused by the sky and the window tint, to give it the clean white, high key look. I also had to lighten the strawberry, since the main light source was at the back, and the front was a bit dark.
Overall I had fun, splashing water everywhere with the strawberry's diving. I also enjoyed looking at all the different patterns I got during the shoot.
Slow Shutter - Buzzing Fun
Canon R5 - 1.6” - f'/11 - ISO 100
I knew I wanted to take a fun and bright photo of some ride. The busy park, bright light trails of the rides and the blurry people moving around, gives a sense of a buzz happening.
My biggest struggle at the amusement park was the shutter speed of 1"6 of the photo since a tripod was not allowed, and I couldn't find a spot to set up my camera for this spot.
I then braced my body in the most stable position possible, and put trust in the latest camera technology while pushing its limits.
Window Light -
Big City Bunny
Canon R5 - 30” - f'/10 - ISO 100
Our Bugs Bunny soft toy was an excellent subject this week. Looking out onto the big Dubai with all it's lights. It's also a representation of how many of us feel in the current situation, longing to go outside, while cooped up due to restrictions.
I used the HDR technique with some luminosity masks, to get the most out of the picture.
Color Relationship -
The warmth of cinnamon
Canon R5 - 1/500 - f'/2.8 - ISO 1600
I went to our Spice Souk, in search of a photo with earthy colours.
This cinnamon photo with its warm analogous colours of red yellow and orange are was perfect. Just like the colours, cinnamon always manages to warm up my body and soul. Thus this earthy array of warm colours work well together in this photo and in the symbolism.
Negative Space -
Half a Quack
Canon R5 - 1/125 - f'/8 - ISO 1600
I've been wanting to take this shot for a while but initially wanted to add the entire duck. In one of the previous years, I saw somebody use "half an object" composition and wanted to try it. It had some difficulty as the duck kept on "swimming" away as the pool jets made a current in the water. I had a lot of fun taking this photo and felt like a kid again.
Details -
Museum of the Future
Canon R5 - 1/8 - f'/11 - ISO 100
The museum of the future in Dubai is almost complete. The detail of an Arabic poem on the building was the first layer of details. The second is the two construction workers hanging on ropes, as the building's rounded shape makes it difficult for the usual scaffolding. The two constructions workers also give scale to the building.
Roll Credits -
The call on hold
Canon R5 - 1/40 - f'/8 - ISO 100
The overall darkness of the photo and clouds represent the brutal and sad fact that the call would probably not be answered by the loved one it was intended for. The bright pink flowers are the little hope the caller has for the phone to be answered.
Golden Hour -
House of Wisdom’s Scroll
Canon R5 - 30” - f'/11 - ISO 125
The photo was taken at a library in Sharjah called House of Wisdom. Although it was taken at golden hour, the nd filter I used created a more blue feel to the overall picture. The scroll managed to capture the sunset golden hour light perfectly.
Single Focal Point -
Green in the harsh desert
Canon R5 - 3.2” - f'/11 - ISO 100
None of my photos I had in mind managed to pan out as planned. Then with a day trip out of the city, I got this opportunistic photo. It's a little bit of green with dew on in the harshest of landscapes. Although I don't own a macro lens (yet), and would have liked a crisper look, I am still quite happy with this shot.
Horizon Lines -
Stripy Blue Hour
Canon R5 - 3.2sec - f'/11 - ISO 100
I took the photo with a long exposure from my balcony. We face the ocean, with a bit of bay coming inland. During blue hour I panned my camera on the tripod to get the stripy lights, with the horizon still straight. and the mosque in the left corner. Even the street lights along the bay can be seen in a curve form.
Water -
Unicorn Water
Canon R5 - 1/125 - f'/4 - ISO 320
I placed a wineglass full of water on leftover wrapping paper in the sun. With a shallower depth of field, I lost the detail and pictures on the wrapping paper but managed to get these pastels like colours as a reflection on the glass and water that makes me think of unicorns.
Get Low -
Trees into the mist
Canon R5 - 1/40 - f'/5.6 - ISO 1000
The photo was taken on a very Misty morning. Although the trees are right next to the highway in Dubai, the mist gives it a clean look.
Leading Lines -
Benched Palm Tree
Canon R5 - 1/500 - f/5.6 - ISO 250
A bench at our local beach was the ideal leading lines to a palm tree.
Self Portrait
Canon R5 - 1/1250 - f/5.6 - ISO 400
I love being out in nature, and what better place to take the photo. I tried to keep it as natural as possible, with my everyday look. I used a mirror for my reflection, and the camera to "hide" behind since that's where I feel most confident.
